Automotive Comfort Systems: A brief overview

Comfort Systems available in a vehicle.

1. Automotive Comfort Systems

2. Comfor t Systems In Automobiles Are:- Suspensions Air Conditioning Automatic Climate Control Automatic Wipers Automatic Headlamps Electronic Seat Adjustment And Memory Navigation System Upholstery And Much More…

3. Suspensions :- What is suspension system? Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Serve a dual purpose – contributing to the car's handling and braking. Protects the vehicle itself and any cargo or luggage from damage and wear,

4. Suspension system perform 6 basic functions: - Maintain correct vehicle ride height. Reduce the effect of shock forces. Maintain correct wheel alignment. Support vehicle weight. Keep the tires in contact with the road. Control the vehicle's direction of travel.

5. Spring Shock Ball Joint Control Arm Control Arm Bushing Components:-

6. Different suspension systems:- Conventional suspension system. Independent suspension system. Air suspension system. Hydro elastic suspension system.

7. Conventional Suspension System Two wheels are mounted on either side of the rigid axle. When one wheel encounters the bump, both the wheel do not execute parallel up and down motion. So it gives rise to gyroscopic effect and wheel wobble. Rear driving wheels mounted on live axle suspended by laminated leaf springs and shock absorbers. Independent Suspension System Both the front and the rear wheel are utilized Design incorporated in the front wheels One wheel goes down ,the other wheel does not have much effect Basic classification of the design MacPherson Strut (Most Widely Used) Double Wishbone Multi link

8. Air Suspension Comprises of compressor , supplying air to air tank Pressure maintained – 5.6 to 7 kg/sq.m Air bags – on each wheel As load applied , air bags compressed actuating the levelling valve . Air from the tank fills the compressed air bag & hence raise the level of the frame. Air from air bag gets released as load on chassis decreases . Hydro E lastic Suspension A system where the front and rear suspension systems were connected together in order to better level the car when driving. The front and rear suspension units have Hydro elastic displacers, one per side. These are interconnected by a small bore pipe. Each displacer incorporates a rubber spring Damping of the system is achieved by rubber valves.

9. 2. Air Conditioning :- Understanding the system. A/C system is nothing more than a heat exchanger. There are only 6 major parts to the system. The Compressor The Condenser The Receiver/Dryer or Accumulator The Thermal Expansion Valve or Orifice Tube The Evaporator The Refrigerant

10. The Compressor Commonly referred to as the heart of the system, the Compressor is typically a belt driven pump that is fastened to the engine or motor. It is responsible for compressing and transferring refrigerant gas. The A/C system is split into two sides, a High pressure side and a Low pressure side; defined as Discharge and Suction. Since the Compressor is basically a pump, it must have an intake side and a discharge side. The Condenser This is the area in which heat dissipation occurs. The Condenser, in many cases, will have much the same appearance as the radiator in you car as the two have very similar functions. The Condenser is designed to radiate heat. Its location is usually in front of the radiator. As hot compressed gasses are introduced into the top of the Condenser, they’re cooled off. As the gas cools, it condenses and exits the bottom of the Condenser as a high pressure liquid.

11. The Receiver/Dryer The Receiver/Dryer is used on the high side of systems that use a thermal expansion valve. To ensure that the valve gets liquid refrigerant, a receiver is used. The primary function of the Receiver/Dryer is to separate gas and liquid. The secondary purpose is to remove moisture and filter out debris. Newer Receiver/Dryers use desiccant type XH-7 and are compatible with both R-12 and R-134a refrigerants. Older Receiver/Dryers aren’t compatible with R-134a refrigerants . The Thermal Expansion Valve Thermal Expansion Valve, or TXV. Commonly used on import and aftermarket systems, this type of valve can sense both temperature and pressure. A TXV is very efficient at regulating refrigerant flow to the evaporator. These types of valves, although efficient, have some disadvantages over Orifice Tube systems. Like Orifice Tubes these valves can become clogged with debris, but also have small moving parts that may stick and malfunction due to corrosion

12. The Orifice Tube The Orifice Tube, probably the most commonly used, is located in the inlet tube of the evaporator, or in the liquid line, somewhere between the outlet of the condenser and the inlet of the evaporator. Most of the Orifice Tubes in use today measure approximately three inches in length and consist of a small brass tube, surrounded by plastic, and covered with a filter screen at each end. The Evaporator Located inside the vehicle, the Evaporator serves as the heat absorption component. Its primary duty is to remove heat from the inside of your vehicle. A secondary benefit is dehumidification. On humid days you may have seen this as water dripping from the bottom of your vehicle. The ideal temperature of the evaporator is 32° Fahrenheit or 0° Celsius. Refrigerant enters the bottom of the Evaporator as a low pressure liquid. The warm air passing through the Evaporator fins causes the refrigerant to boil (refrigerants have very low boiling points). As the refrigerant begins to boil, it can absorb large amounts of heat.

13. 3. Automatic Climate Control :- Automatic climate control is the ability to monitor and influence the temperature of a specified space without manual intervention. This climate control capability can be found in many cars, boats, and airplanes. Its primary purpose is to manage the temperature of a given area based on settings by a user of the system.

14. The benefit of automatic climate control is that it enables the occupants of a vehicle to set a specified temperature for one area within the automobile. This temperature is then regulated by the climate control system, which determines how best to maintain the current environment.

15. The creation of the automatic system has advanced the overall comfort for automobiles, as users are not forced to constantly move the controls to adjust the temperature of the compartment. The mechanics of automated climate control require sensors to be placed into the compartment of the area to be managed. These sensors read the current temperature of the area. The readings are then matched to the setting defined by the occupants through the computer system within the vehicle, and the heating and cooling are adjusted appropriately.

16. Climate control systems are not limited to automobiles, and they can also be found in many boats and airplanes While the implementation is unique for each type, the overall concept is the same.

17. 4. Automatic Wipers (Rain Sensing Wipers) :-

18. A new type of wiper system is starting to appear on cars that actually does a good job of detecting the amount of water on the windshield and controlling the wipers. It uses optical sensors to detect the moisture . The sensor is mounted in contact with the inside of the windshield, near the rear view mirror. The sensor projects infrared light into the windshield at a 45-degree angle .\ If the glass is dry , most of this light is reflected back into the sensor by the front of the windshield. If water droplets are on the glass, they reflect the light in different directions -- the wetter the glass, the less light makes it back into the sensor.

19. The electronics and software in the sensor turn on the wipers when the amount of light reflected onto the sensor decreases to a pre-set level . The software sets the speed of the wipers based on how fast the moisture builds up between wipes. It can operate the wipers at any speed . The system adjusts the speed as often as necessary to match with the rate of moisture accumulation.

20. 5. Automatic Headlamps :-

21. The automatic headlamps are activated through a photoelectric sensor which is embedded into the instrument panel. The sensor is located at the base of the windshield under the defogger grill. The sensitivity of the sensor is either set by the auto manufacturer or the driver. The sensor is activated by the lighting conditions at dawn or dusk . The lights may switch off up to five minutes after the engine has been turned off.

22. The driver has the ability to bypass the functions of the automatic headlamps by operating the light switch or some other device in the car. If the driver inadvertently leaves the lights on, a reminder chime will ring so the driver can turn them off.

23. 6. Electronic Seat Adjustment :- A P ower Seat in an automobile is a front seat which can be adjusted by using a switch or joystick and a set of small electric motors . Most cars with this feature have controls for the driver's seat only, though almost all luxury cars also have power controls for the front passenger seat . In addition to fore and aft adjustments, power seats can be raised or lowered and tilted to suit the comfort of the driver and/or passenger . Many power seats allow occupants to adjust the seat lumbar or seatback recline, all at the push of a button or flick of a switch.

24. Memory seats or seats with memory function are power adjusted seats where you can save your favourite seating position in the vehicles memory and you can recall that position anytime with the push of a button. The memory functions are used on the front seats of luxury vehicles, some of them are only on the driver seat and others have them on both the driver and passenger seats. Memory seats are useful if more than one person drives the vehicle and especially if those persons are of varying sizes and /or have different driving preferences. Memory Seats

25. 6. Navigation System :-

26. An A utomotive Navigation System is a satellite navigation system designed for use in automobiles . It typically uses a GPS navigation device to acquire position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database . It is available on an infotainment screen and is placed near the A/C vents or near the audio system. Aftermarket navigation systems are also available.

27. 7. Upholstery :- Interior carpets – In addition to the carpet you’ll find on the floor of most passenger cars and trucks, you can usually find a fair amount of carpet and other fabric in the trunk as well. Automotive carpet is designed to be extremely durable and stain resistant, but the material can wear out or become damaged with regular wear and tear. Seats – Most car owners probably frequently associate automobile upholstery with the seats. Depending on the fabric, including fabric, vinyl or leather, care and repair upkeep will differ . Headliners - The headliner on a car is the fabric material that covers the ceiling, but may also include fabric-covered roof support frames.

28. Dashboards – While not every auto upholsterer will make repairs to dashboards, so may be able make repairs or cover up damage to this most noticeable part of a vehicle’s interior. Door panels – Doors and interior door panels get a lot of use and often take more abuse than other upholstery features, so it’s not unusual for the fabric or other materials that cover them to become damaged.

29. So, these were some of the modern comfort systems seen in automobiles. Kudos to comfort systems! These have helped the drivers in driving safely and comfortably and the passengers to enjoy and have a pleasant drive…